Safety reel and spring assembly therefor



April 19, 1955 J. A. MILLER 2,706,603

SAFETY REEL AND SPRING ASSEMBLY THEREFOR Filed Dec. 3, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l 13 l3 28 R 31 3 21 1-?? M 1 I \1 I 4 .Lo 1 n 1 II I: v Z2 1 B3.2 .15 E" L 25 y 1 I .35 I ll 3 5.2 1 I 5.3- F 3 1 L I a T. i3.9 {1 40 20 19 1. 43 4* 3.9 54

25 4 as l 53 25 I2 J oaeph Miller ATTORNEY April 1955 J. A. MILLER 2,706,603

SAFETY REEL AND spramc ASSEMBLY THEREFOR Filed D60 3, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR QJbYePh .Miller ATTORNEY United States Patent Oflice 2,706,6 E Patented Apr. 19, 195! SAFETY REEL AND SPRING ASSEMBLY THEREFOR Joseph A. Miller, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 3, 1952, Serial No. 323,903

2 Claims. (Cl. 242-107) The present invention relates to safety reels and more particularly to an automatic inertia-operated reel for taking up the cable on a shoulder harness by means of which an occupant of an airplane or other vehicle is secured in his chair in the event of a crash.

The primary objects of the invention are to provide an improved inertia-actuated safety reel of the same general type as those disclosed in Nordmark Patents No. 2,434,119 issued January 6, 1948 and No. 2,480,335 issued August 30, 1949; and to provide an improved spring assembly adaptable for use in such a reel whereby the limits within which the reel will become inertia-locked may be more accurately controlled and whereby a staylocked feature is incorporated in the spring assembly of the reel rather than being an independent mechanism as disclosed in Patent No. 2,434,119. Certain general characteristics of the safety reel herein disclosed are also disclosed and claimed in a co-pending application Serial No. 211,076 filed February 15, 1951 (now Patent No. 2,701,693 issued February 8, 1955) by Nordmark et al. and by them assigned to my assignee.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view partly in rear elevation and partly in vertical section taken on line 1-1 of Figure 2, of an inertia-operated shoulder-harness takeup reel embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same taken on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view similar to Figure 2 but showing certain parts of the reel in different moved positions;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a new spring assembly for the reel;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the reel with portions of the housing cover broken away to reveal parts on the interior of the reel;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of parts inside the reel, certain of said parts being here shown in different positions from their positions illustrated in Figure 5; I

Figure 7 is a .similar fragmentary perspective view showing certain parts in still other moved positions; and

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of a modified form of spring assembly for the reel.

Referring now in detail to these drawings, the reel there illustrated is adapted for securing to the back panel of a vehicle seat such as the pilots seat in an airplane, for automatically taking up a cable which is attached to a shoulder-harness for the pilot. The reel is so constructed that the pilot, by means of a cable control, may manually set it so that the reel is locked against paying out the cable, or so that the reel automatically takes up the harness cable but will yield to permit freedom of movement for the pilot. in which latter setting the reel is also set to automatically lock by inertia in the event of a crash so that the pilot is held in a more safe rearwardly position in his chair.

The reel is mounted in a housing made in two partsa base 10 and a cover 11 adapted for securing to the back panel 12 of the pilots chair by means of screws 13 passing through aligned apertures in the cover, the base and the chair back, and provided with nuts 14.

The housing being mounted in upright position as shown, for which position the reel is designed, the interior opposite sides of the housing cover 11 are provided with rearwardly extending guides 15 the purpose of which will hereinafter be fully described. A center pin or spindle 16 extends rearwardly from the center of the base 10 intermediate the guides 15, said spindle 16 having a head 17 seated within a recess 18 in the front surface of the base 10 and having its rearward end threaded into a stop nut 19 seated in a counterbore 20 in the rearward surface of the housing cover 11. By this means the entire reel is secured in assembly prior to its installation on the pilot chair.

A bushing 21 is mounted on the forward or head end of the spindle 16, and a drum 22 is rotatably mounted on this bushing 21, the hub of the drum being confined between the base 10 and a flange 23 on the bushing 21 so that the drum is non-slidable longitudinally. The drum 22 has a peripheral groove 24 therein for the accommodation of several turns of the harness-cable 25, the inner end of the cable being secured to the drum by any suitable means (not shown).

Means are provided for normally urging the drum 22 in a direction for winding the cable 25 thereon, so that slack in the cable is taken up at all times. These means comprise a spiral spring 26 disposed in an annular cavity 27 in the forward end of the drum, the inner end of the spiral spring being secured to the hub of the drum and the outer end of the spring being hooked over a pin 28 on the base.

A sleeve member 29, which forms part of a spring assembly which is described in detail hereinafter, is mounted on the center pin or spindle 16. This sleeve member 29 comprises a middle flange portion, a forward sleeve portion extending into the bushing 21, and a rearward sleeve portion extending from the flange portion to the housing cover 20. The sleeve member 29 is non-rotatable and non-slidable on the spindle 16. A collar 30 is slidably disposed on the rearward sleeve portion of the sleeve member 29, and to this collar is secured, as by means of rivets 31, the hub of a locking member 32 which is slidable forwardly-rearwardly in the housing and which has key means 33 at opposite sides thereof which are movable in the housing guides 15. The locking member 32 is thus keyed to the housing and is non-rotatable on the sleeve member 29.

Cooperative locking means here shown in the form of ratchets 34 and 35 are provided on the rearward part of the drum 22 and on the forward part of the locking member 32, respectively. It will be seen that when the locking member is slid forwardly into engagement with the drum, these ratchet teeth 34 and 35 interlock to prevent rotation of the drum in a direction for unwinding the cable while permitting rotation of the drum in the opposite direction for winding the cable thereon. Thus when these parts are in engagement the cable cannot pay out to permit farther forward movement of the chair occupant, but should the occupant move farther rearwardly the cable will be taken up.

The spring assembly, which per se and in combination with the other elements of the inertia reel constitutes the essence of the invention, comprises an actuating spider element 36 and a flexible plate element 37. The actuating spider element 36 has a fiat middle body 38 fixedly mounted on the spindle 16 between the flange 23 on bushing 21 and the middle flange portion of the sleeve member 29, and is provided with radially spaced rearwardly extending laterally springable legs 39 having slots in their rearward ends. The flexible plate element 37 has a flat middle body 40 connected to the locking member 32 and to the collar 30 by the rivets 31 which pass through all three of these members, and is provided with radially spaced laterally extending forwardly-rearwardly flexible arms 41 the outer ends of which are fitted into the slots in the rear ends of the spider elements legs 39. It will be seen that the legs 39 of the actuating spider element 36 are sprung outwardly when the flexible plate element 37 is in a substantially plane center position with its arms 41 at right angles to said legs 39, and that the body of the plate element 37 and also the locking member 32 are together urged forwardly or rearwardly on the spindle 16 by the inwardly contracting forces of the spiders springable legs 39 acting on the plates flexible arms 41 whenever the body of the plate is moved forwardly or rearwardly respectively of said center position. The legs 39 of the spider element exend rearwardly through voids provided in the locking nember 32.

Means are provided whereby the chair occupant may nanually control the setting of the locking member 32'. These means comprise a control lever 42 turnably nounted on a guide ring 43 secured by rivets 44 to the rear wall of the housing cover 11, said control lever being operably connected at 45 to a control rod 46 connected to one end of a cable 47 exteriorly of the housing. The other end of the cable 47 connects with a manually operable switch or lever (not shown) accessible to the chair occupant. The control lever 42 has a pair of diametrically opposite, forwardly extending cam arms 48 having cam slots 49 therethrough into which extend pins 50 on the outer periphery of the locking member 32.

Operation When the chair occupant desires to manually lock the reel so that the cable 25 will positively not pay out, the control lever 42 is turned clockwise from either of its positions shown in Figures 6 and 7 to its position shown in Figure 5, during which movement the cam shoulders 51 insure that the locking member 32 will move forwardly past center so that the spring assembly 36, 37 will snap the locking member into ratchet engagement with the drum 22. It is frequently desirable that an airplane pilot be thus locked rearwardly in his seat under conditions of take-off or landing. In normal flight, however, it is more desirable that the pilot have complete freedom of movement and yet be protected in the event of a crash. The reel is set to accomplish these objectives by moving the control lever counterclockwise from its position shown in Figure to its position shown in Figure 6. During this movement the cam surfaces 52 move the locking member 32 rearwardly past center and the spring assembly 36, 37 snaps the locking member to its rearward position of disengagement from the drum 22. The cable will then pay out freely, but any slack therein will be taken up by the turning of the drum effected by spring 26. However, in the event of a crash the locking member will move by a force of inertia, if it be great enough to overcome the force of the spring assembly 36, 37, to the position of locked engagement with the drum 22 as shown in Figure 7. The spring assembly 36, 37 will thereafter maintain the reel in this locked condition until it is again manually unlocked.

Springs 53 and 54 interposed between the locking member 32 and the housings cover 11 serve merely to equalize the movement of the locking member at its opposite sides.

The modified form of spring assembly illustrated in Figure 8 may if desired be substituted for that shown in Figure 4. In Figure 8 the actuating spider element 36 is substantially like the element 36 in Figure 4, but the body of the flexible element 37 is flexibly connected to the springable legs 39 of the actuating element by means of links 41 pivotally connected to said flexible elementfs body and to the actuating elements legs 39 This modified spring assembly functions in the same manner as that previously described.

It will thus be seen that the invention provides an eflicient inertia-operable shoulder harness takeup reel and spring assembly therefor, and while but two specific embodiments thereof have been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a reel device of the class described: a housing adapted for mounting in an upright position on a suitable supporting structure, said housing having rearwardly extending guides at the opposite interior sides thereof; a spindle mounted in the housing and projecting rearwardly therein between said guides; a drum rotatably and non-slidably mounted on the spindle and adapted to receive a cable wound thereon; a locking member slidably mounted on the spindle rearwardly of the drum and havmg key means at opposite sides thereof forwardly-rearwardly movable on the housings guides whereby the locking member is keyed against rotation; cooperative locking means on the rearward part of the drum and on the forward part of the locking member adapted to engage when the locking member is slid forwardly into engagement with the drum; an actuating spider element having a body fixedly mounted on the spindle adjacent the drum and radially spaced rearwardly extending laterally springable legs; a flexible plate element having a body connected to the locking member movably therewith and laterally extending forwardly-rearwardly flexible arms connected at their outer ends to the rearward ends of said spider elements laterally springable legs, whereby the legs of the spider element are sprung outwardly when the plate element is in a substantially plane center position and whereby the locking member is urged forwardly or rearwardly on the spindle by the inwardly contracting forces of the spider elements legs acting on the plate elements flexible arms whenever the body of the plate element is moved forwardly or rearwardly respectively of said center position.

2. In a reel device of the class described: a housing adapted for mounting in an upright position on a suitable supporting structure, said housing having rearwardly extending guides at the opposite interior sides thereof; a spindle mounted in the housing and projecting rearwardly therein between said guides; a drum rotatably and nonslidably mounted on the spindle and adapted to receive a cable wound thereon; spring means normally urging the drum in a direction for winding the cable thereon; a locking member slidably mounted on the spindle rearwardly of the drum and having key means at opposite sides thereof forwardly-rearwardly movable on the housings guides whereby the locking member is keyed against rotation; cooperative ratchet means on the rearward part of the drum and on the forward part of the locking member adapted to engage when the locking member is slid forwardly into engagement with the drum thus to prevent rotation of the drum in a direction for unwinding the cable while permitting rotation of the drum in a direction for winding the cable thereon; an actuating spider element having a body fixedly mounted on the spindle adjacent the drum and radially spaced rearwardly extending laterally springable legs; a flexible plate element having a body connected to the locking member movably therewith and laterally extending forwardly-rearwardly connected at their outer ends to the rearward ends of said spiders laterally springable legs, whereby the legs of the spider element are sprung outwardly when the plate element is in a substantially plane center position and'whereby the locking member is urged forwardly or rearwardly on the spindle by the inwardly contracting forces of the spider elements legs acting on the plates flexible arms whenever the body of the plate element is moved forwardly or rearwardly respectively of said center position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,571,401 Erickson Feb. 2, 1926 2,297,403 Glassing et al Sept. 29, 1942 2,394,523 Pancoe Feb. 5, 1946 2,410,680 Rasmussen Aug. 30, 1946 2,417,438 OBrien et al. Mar. 18, 1947 2,434,119 Nordmark Jan. 6, 1948 2,480,335 Nordmark Aug. 30, 1949 

